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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


BY  JOHN  B.  EICE 


URBANA,  JANUARY,  1924 


CONTENTS  OF  BULLETIN  No.  247 

PAGE 
SUMMARY  37 

PURPOSE  OF  EXPERIMENTS 39 

PLAN 39 

FEEDING  OF  MEDIUM  RATIONS  OF  CORN,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT 

TANKAGE,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 40 

Rape,  Sweet  Clover,  and  Blue-Grass  Pastures 40 

FEEDING   OF  DIFFERENT   AMOUNTS   OF   CORN,  WITH    TANKAGE 

ADDED,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 43 

Rape  and  Alfalfa  Pastures 43 

Field  Peas  and  Oats,  Rape  and  Soybean  Pastures 45 

FEEDING  OF  DIFFERENT  AMOUNTS  OF  CORN,  WITH  MIDDLINGS 

AND  TANKAGE  ADDED,  J?OR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 48 

Rape  Pasture    48 

CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  VARI- 
OUS PASTURE  CROPS 50 

Alfalfa  and  Rape  Pastures :    1914  Experiment 50 

Alfalfa  and  Rape  Pastures :    1915  Experiment 52 

Red  Clover,  Alfalfa,  and  Rape  Pastures :    1916  Experiment 52 

Alfalfa,  Rape,  and  Sweet-Clover  Pastures:    1917  Experiment 54 

Summary  of  Four  Years'  Experiments  with  Corn  and  Tankage  in  the 
Self -Feeder,  for  Pigs  on  Alfalfa  and  Rape  Pastures 56 

ONE  vs.  TWO  PASTURE  CROPS  FOR  PIGS 57 

CARRYING  FALL  PIGS  THROUGH  THE  SUMMER  ON  PASTURE 59 

Heavy,  Fat  Pigs 59 

Light,  Thin  Pigs 59 


SUMMARY 

The  various  experiments  reported  herein  were  conducted  in  an 
attempt  to  determine  the  amounts  of  concentrates  that  are  most  profit- 
able to  feed  in  conjunction  with  pasture  crops  for  growing  and  fatten- 
ing pigs.  Experiments  were  also  conducted  to  determine  the  com- 
parative values  of  various  pasture  crops  for  growing  market  pigs,  the 
use  of  the  self-feeder  on  pasture,  and  the  possibility  of  carrying  heavy, 
fat  pigs,  and  light,  thin  pigs  through  the  summer. 

1.  Without  concentrates  young  pigs  made  very  little  gain  on 
either  rape  or  alfalfa  pastures. 

2.  A  greater  percentage  of  pigs  became  unthrifty  and  had  to  be 
taken  from  the  lots  receiving  light  rations  than  from  those  receiving 
full  rations. 

3.  Pigs  fed  light  rations  of  corn  on  pasture  during  the  summer 
and  finished  on  corn  and  tankage  in  the  fall  required  more  concen- 
trates, per  hundred  pounds,  to  reach  an  approximate  weight  of  225 
pounds,  in  two  of  three  experiments,  than  did  pigs  which  received  a 
medium  ration  of  corn  on  pasture.    In  turn,  pigs  fed  a  medium  ration 
on  pasture  required  more  concentrates  to  finish  in  the  fall,  in  all  the 
experiments,  than  the  pigs  which  were  on  the  self-feeder  during  the 
summer. 

4.  Medium  corn  rations  for  pigs  on  pasture  were  found  to  have 
an  advantage  over  full  rations  in  the  possibility  they  afforded  of 
making  use  of  a  larger  percentage  of  new  corn;   also  in  the  smaller 
requirement  for  high-priced  protein  supplements.    Pigs  which  are  fed 
medium  rations,  however,  are  usually  sold  on  a  later  and  lower  market 
than  full-fed  pigs. 

5.  The  self -feeding  of  corn  and  tankage  to  pigs  on  pasture  proved . 
to  be  an  economical  and  labor-saving  method  of  growing  and  fatten- 
ing pigs  for  the  early  fall  market. 

6.  For  maximum  gains,  self-fed  pigs  on  pasture  required  some 
tankage.    Pigs  fed  medium  corn  rations  on  pasture  without  tankage 
were  fattened  in  the  fall  somewhat  less  economically  than  the  pigs 
which  had  received  a  small  amount  of  tankage  during  the  summer. 

7.  Pigs  that  had  been  fed  a  small  amount  of  corn  during  the 
summer  consumed  more  tankage  in  the  fall,  when  self -fed  their  tank- 
age, than  could  be  used  economically. 

8.  The  addition  of  middlings  to  a  self-fed  ration  of  corn  and 
tankage  increased  the  daily  gains  and  also  the  cost  of  gains.     Such 
a  difference  in  cost  may  be  offset  by  a  higher  market. 

37 


9.  Little  difference  was  found  in  the  actual  feeding  value  of  the 
various  pasture  crops  used.    An  average  of  several  tests  would  indi- 
cate that  alfalfa  had  a  slightly  higher  feeding  value  than  rape.    In 
the  one  experiment  with  red  clover  slightly  more  rapid  daily  gains 
were  secured  than  with  alfalfa  or  rape.    In  the  two  experiments  with 
sweet  clover,  the  results  were  not  so  good  as  with  either  rape  or 
alfalfa.    The  combination  of  Canadian  field  peas  and  oats  followed 
by  rape  and  later  by  soybeans  proved  to  be  no  more  satisfactory  than 
either  rape  or  alfalfa  alone  and  caused  the  additional  trouble  of  pro- 
viding the  several  forages. 

10.  No  marked  advantage  was  found  in  pasturing  pigs  on  both 
alfalfa  and  rape  over  pasturing  them  on  either  crop  separately. 

11.  The  carrying  of  fat,  heavy  hogs  through  the  summer  proved 
to  be  unprofitable  because  of  the  slow  daily  gains  and  the  high  con- 
sumption of  concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain. 

12.  Fairly  satisfactory  gains  were  made  by  light,  thin  pigs  car- 
ried through  the  summer  on  a  moderate  grain  ration  and  fattened  on 
full  ration  in  the  fall.    The  concentrate  requirements  were  somewhat 
high.    A  greater  profit  could  be  made  in  carrying  them  through  the 
summer  only  as  the  price  for  them  in  the  fall  at  the  heavier  weights 
would  be  greater  than  the  price  for  them  at  the  lighter  weights  in  the 
spring.    Because  of  the  extra  risk  and  labor  involved,  however,  it 
seems  better  under  ordinary  conditions  not  to  hold  fall  pigs  through 
the  summer. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

Acknowledgment  is  hereby  made  to  Professor  William  Dietrich, 
formerly  Assistant  Chief  in  Swine  Husbandry,  under  whose  direction 
the  first  of  these  experiments  were  started,  and  also  to  Mr.  W.  J. 
Carmichael,  Associate  in  Animal  Husbandry,  who  for  a  time  had 
charge  of  the  work. 


38 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

BY  JOHN  B.  RICE,  ASSOCIATE  IN  SWINE  HUSBANDRY 

PURPOSE  OF  EXPERIMENTS 

The  primary  purpose  of  the  investigations  reported  in  this  bulletin 
was  to  study  the  amounts  of  concentrates  that  are  most  profitable  to 
feed  in  conjunction  with  pasture  crops  for  growing  and  fattening  pigs. 
The  concentrates  used  were  corn,  tankage,  and  middlings.  Data  were 
also  obtained  on  the  comparative  values  of  various  pasture  crops  for 
growing  market  pigs,  the  use  of  the  self-feeder  on  pasture,  and  the 
possibility  of  carrying  heavy,  fat  pigs  and  light,  thin  pigs  through 
the  summer  on  pasture.  The  experiments  were  conducted  during  the 
years  1911  to  1919. 

PLAN 

Pigs  Used.  The  four  hundred  and  five  pigs  used  in  these  experi- 
ments were  of  several  breeds  and  with  but  few  exceptions  were  pro- 
duced on  the  University  Farm.  Duroc-Jerseys  and  Poland  Chinas 
predominated,  but  some  Berkshires,  Chester  Whites,  Hampshires,  Tarn- 
worths,  Large  Yorkshires,  and  cross-breds  were  used.  All  pigs  were 
of  March  and  April  farrow  excepting  those  used  in  Lots  44  and  45 
(in  the  experiments  in  which  fall  pigs  were  carried  through  the 
summer). 

Selection  of  Pigs  for  Lots.  The  lots  for  each  test  were  made  up 
of  pigs  as  uniform  as  possible  in  breed,  age,  weight,  sex,  thrift,  lines 
of  breeding,  and  individual  merit. 

Weighing.  The  pigs  were  weighed  individually  every  two  weeks 
during  the  experiments.  The  weighing  was  done  before  the  morning 
feed  was  given. 

The  hand-fed  rations  were  weighed  at  the  time  of  feeding.  The 
feeds  for  the  self-feeders  were  weighed  in  quantities  sufficient  for 
several  days'  rations.  With  each  weighing1  of  the  pigs,  the  feed 
remaining  was  weighed  and  returned  to  the  feeders. 

In  the  case  of  pigs  which  were  removed  from  an  experiment 
before  its  completion,  the  data  up  to  the  time  of  removal  are  included 
in  the  totals  and  averages  shown  in  the  tables. 

Quarters.  During  the  winter  months,  the  pigs  were  quartered  in 
small  movable  houses.  During  the  summer,  sunshades  were  the  only 
shelter  furnished. 

39 


40  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

Length  of  Feeding  Periods.  Since  the  purpose  of  the  investiga- 
tions was  to  secure  data  on  the  growing  and  fattening  of  pigs,  the 
tests  in  most  cases  covered  the  period  from  shortly  after  weaning  time 
until  a  marketable  weight  of  approximately  225  pounds  had  been  at- 
tained. In  a  few  experiments,  however,  the  pigs  were  fed  for  a  definite 
period  of  time. 

Concentrates  Fed.  The  concentrates  used  were  No.  2  yellow  corn, 
shelled,  60-percent  protein  tankage,  and  gray  flour  middlings  of  the 
best  quality  obtainable. 

Omission  of  Financial  Statements.  Financial  statements  are 
omitted  from  this  bulletin  because  of  the  impossibility  of  any  set  of 
feed  prices  even  approximating  the  prevailing  conditions  for  all 
localities  at  different  times  of  the  year  and  in  different  years.  The 
concentrate  costs  are  expressed  in  terms  of  the  number  of  pounds  re- 
quired for  100  pounds  gain.  From  these  data  the  cost  of  gains  can 
readily  be  calculated  at  the  prevailing  prices.  No  value  is  assigned 
to  the  forage  consumed.  This  fact  should  be  kept  in  mind,  especially 
when  pigs  fed  on  pasture  are  compared  with  those  fed  in  the  dry  lot. 


FEEDING  OF  MEDIUM  RATIONS  OF  CORN,  WITH  AND 
WITHOUT  TANKAGE,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

RAPE,  SWEET  CLOVER,  AND  BLUE-GRASS  PASTURES 

Six  lots  of  eight  pigs  each  were  started  on  experiment  June  15, 
1918,  in  an  attempt  to  determine  the  comparative  value  of  medium 
rations  of  corn,  with  and  without  the  addition  of  tankage,  for  pigs  on 
pasture.  The  pigs  averaged  38  and  39  pounds  in  weight.  The  various 
lots  were  placed  on  rape,  sweet-clover,  and  blue-grass  pastures  and 
were  fed  as  follows: 

Lot  1.    Rape  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn1 

Lot  2.    Rape  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn,  ^4  pound  tankage 

daily  per  pig 

Lot  3.     Sweet  clover  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn 
Lot  4.     Sweet  clover  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn,   ^4  pound 

tankage  daily  per  pig 

Lot  5.    Blue-grass  pasture:   two- thirds  ration  corn 
Lot  6.    Blue-grass  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn,  *4  pound 

tankage  daily  per  pig 

The  rape  was  sown  about  April  1,  and  by  the  time  the  experiment 
was  begun  had  attained  a  height  of  six  to  twelve  inches.  By  July  10 

*  Three  pounds  of  corn  daily  per  100  pounds  live  weight,  which  is  about  two- 
thirds  as  much  as  the  pigs  would  have  consumed. 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


41 


TABLE  1. — MEDIUM  RATIONS  OK  CORN,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  TANKAGE,  JOR 
PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

Experiment  begun  on  June  15,  1918.    Pigs  changed  from  pasture  to  dry  lot  on 

October  5. 


Lot  No  

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Number  of  pigs  • 

8 
210 
Jan.  11 

82 
196 
Dec.  28 

8' 
196 
Dec.  28 

8 
203 
Jan.  4 

8« 
210 
Jan.  11 

8* 
189 
Dec.  21 

Days  on  experiment.  .   .  . 

Experiment  ended  

Forage,  H  acre  per  lot.  .  . 
Ration  on  pasture  

Rape 

Corn% 
ration1 

Rape 

Corn% 
ration; 
tankage 
Klb. 
daily 
per  pig 

Corn  i 

Sweet 
clover 

Corn^ 
ration 

ind  tanka 

Sweet 
clover 

Corn% 
ration; 
tankage 
^lb. 
daily 
per  pig 

ge  in  self- 

Blue 
grass 

Corn% 
ration 

feeder 

Blue 

grass 

Corn% 
ration; 
tankage 
Klb. 
daily 
per  pig 

Ration  in  dry  lot  

Feeds  Consumed  and  Gains  Throu 


hout  Experiment,  in  Both  Pasture  and  Dry- 
ot  Periods 


Average  weight  per  pig 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Initial  weight  

39 

38 

38 

38 

38 

38 

Weight  on  Oct.  5  

123 

122 

106 

117 

109 

117 

Final  weight  

231 

224 

224 

230 

233 

227 

Gain 

Total  gain  per  lot  
Av.  daily  gain  per  pig.  . 

1540 
.92 

1446 
.94 

1051 
.79 

1529 
.94 

1540 
.92 

1456 
.98 

Concentrates  consumed 

per  lot 

Corn  

6060 

5316 

4239 

5844 

6127 

5296 

Tankage  

492 

542 

403 

580 

528 

565 

Total  

6552 

5858 

4642 

6424 

6655 

5861 

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 

Corn  

3.61 

3  46 

3  18 

3  60 

3  65 

3  56 

Tupkftg*  ......    .  ,    ... 

.29 

.35 

30 

36 

31 

38 

Total  

3  90 

3  81 

3  48 

3  96 

3  96 

3  94 

Concentrates  per  100 

pounds  gain 

Corn  

393 

368 

404 

382 

398 

364 

Tankage  

32 

37 

38 

38 

34 

39 

Total  

425 

405 

442 

420 

432 

403 

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs. 

3510 

3510 

'Three  pounds  of  corn  per  100  Ibs.  live  weight  daily,  which  is  almost  two-thirds 
as  much  as  the  pigs  would  consume. 

*Pig  taken  out  July  27.  weight  38  Ibs.;  replaced  by  pig  weighing  55  Ibs.  Pig 
taken  out  Nov.  26,  weight  55  Ibs. 

'Pig  taken  out  Aug.  5,  weight  29  Ibs.;  replaced  by  pig  weighing  49  Ibs.  Pig 
died  Aug.  13,  weight  25  Ibs.;  replaced  by  pig  weighing  60  Ibs.  Pig  taken  out  Aug. 
29,  weight  35  Ibs.  Pig  taken  out  Sept.  7,  weight  26  Ibs. 

*Pig  taken  out  July  20,  weight  20  Ibs.;  replaced  by  pig  weighing  43  Ibs. 

*Pig  taken  out  July  20,  weight  17  Ibi.;  replaced  by  pig  weighing  42  Ibs.  Pig 
taken  out  Nov.  26,  weight  196  Ibs. 


42  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

it  had  made  a  growth  of  two  to  three  feet.  This  early  growth,  with 
its  deep  roots,  carried  the  crop  through  July  and  August.  As  the  fall 
rains  came,  the  rape  grew  well  again.  While  the  forage  was  not  so 
tender  during  the  summer  as  it  might  have  been  had  the  crop  been 
sown  later,  it  seems  necessary  in  the  central  and  northern  part  of 
the  state  to  let  rape  attain  a  good  growth  early  in  the  season  in  order 
that  sufficient  forage  may  be  had  during  the  hot,  dry  months.  The 
sweet  clover  was  also  sown  about  April  1,  and  had  attained  a  height 
of  six  to  eight  inches  at  the  time  the  pigs  were  placed  on  experiment. 
In  early  July  it  had  grown  so  tall  that  it  became  necessary  to  clip 
it  with  the  weeds  and  grass  that  had  grown  on  the  lots.  This  cutting 
was  left  on  the  ground.  The  blue  grass  was  an  old  sod  on  rather 
low  ground.  A  small  amount  of  alfalfa  was  scattered  through  this 
blue  grass. 

The  pigs  were  continued  on  pasture  until  October  5,  when  they 
were  placed  in  the  dry  lot  with  access  to  corn  and  tankage  in  self- 
feeders.  The  various  lots  were  kept  on  experiment  until  they  had 
reached  an  approximate  weight  of  225  pounds,  the  dates  ranging  from 
December  21  to  January  11.  The  data  are  reported  in  Table  1. 

This  method  of  growing  pigs  (feeding  two-thirds  of  the  corn 
they  would  consume  while  on  pasture)  is  a  practice  followed  by  many 
corn-belt  farmers  in  carrying  pigs  through  the  summer.  Maximum 
gains  are  not  obtained  while  the  pigs  are  on  pasture,  but  by  fall  the 
animals  have  attained  a  weight  of  110  to  140  pounds  and  are  ready 
for  making  maximum  gains  on  the  new  corn  crop.  When  this  prac- 
tice is  followed,  more  than  half  the  corn  used  in  growing  pigs  to  a 
marketable  weight  is  from  the  new  crop.  This  method  of  feeding, 
therefore,  may  be  used  to  advantage  by  the  man  who  wishes  to  con- 
vert his  new  corn  crop  into  pork  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  fact, 
however,  that  pigs  fed  in  this  way  during  the  summer  are  usually  sold 
on  a  low  December  or  January  market  should  also  be  borne  in  mind 
in  considering  the  advisability  of  this  method  of  feeding. 

Of  the  pigs  that  had  been  on  blue  grass  and  sweet  clover  during 
the  summer,  those  that  had  received  tankage  averaged  8  and  11  pounds, 
more,  respectively,  when  taken  from  pasture,  than  did  those  that  had 
received  only  corn.  Of  the  pigs  that  had  been  on  rape,  those  that 
had  had  tankage  averaged  one  pound  less  in  weight  than  those  which 
had  received  only  corn.  During  the  period  in  the  dry  lot,  all  pigs 
which  had  been  fed  tankage  on  pasture  made  more  rapid  gains  and 
consumed  less  concentrates  than  the  corresponding  lots  which  had  not 
received  tankage.  As  an  average  of  the  entire  experiment,  the  total 
amounts  of  feed  required  to  produce  100  pounds  gain  were  from  20 
to  29  pounds  less  in  the  lots  fed  tankage  during  the  summer  than  in 
those  not  fed  tankage. 


1924]  FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE  43 

FEEDING  OF  DIFFERENT  AMOUNTS  OF  CORN,  WITH 
TANKAGE  ADDED,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

Eight  lots  of  pigs  were  placed  on  experiment  June  11,  1917,  to 
determine  the  value  of  different  amounts  of  corn  and  of  the  addition 
of  tankage  to  the  rations  of  pigs  on  pasture.  On  June  25  two  more 
lots  were  added  to  the  experiment.  The  pigs  averaged  43  to  47  pounds 
in  weight.  The  lots  were  made  up  of  eight  pigs  each  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Lots  15,  and  16,  in  each  of  which  were  sixteen  pigs.  The 
pastures  used  were  rape,  alfalfa,  field  peas  and  oats,  and  soybeans. 
While  on  pasture  the  pigs  in  the  various  lots  were  fed  as  follows : 

Lot    7.  Rape  pasture:  no  concentrates 

Lot    8.  Rape  pasture:  one-third1  ration  corn 

Lot    9.  Rape  pasture:  two-thirds  ration  corn 

Lot  10.  Rape  pasture:  corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

Lot  11.  Alfalfa  pasture:  no  concentrates 

Lot  12.  Alfalfa  pasture:  one-third  ration  corn 

Lot  13.  Alfalfa  pasture:  two-thirds  ration  corn 

Lot  14.  Alfalfa  pasture:  corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

Lot  15.    Field  peas  and  oats,  rape  and  soybean  pasture:    one-third 

ration  corn 
Lot  16.    Field  peas  and  oats,  rape  and  soybean  pasture*  two-thirds 

ration  corn 

RAPE  AND  ALFALFA  PASTURES 

The  rape  was  sown  and  handled  as  described  under  the  first 
experiment.  The  alfalfa  pasture  was  in  its  second  year's  growth. 

The  two  attempts  to  carry  pigs  through  the  summer  without  grain 
(the  one  lot  on  rape  pasture  and  the  other  on  alfalfa)  were  unsuccess- 
ful. After  two  weeks,  during  which  time  the  corn  was  gradually  re- 
duced, no  grain  whatever  was  fed.  During  the  following  eight  weeks 
which  the  pigs  were  kept  on  experiment,  those  on  rape  gained  an  aver- 
age of  5.2  pounds  each  and  those  on  alfalfa,  3.38  pounds  each.  Two 
of  the  pigs  on  rape  died  a  short  time  before  these  lots  were  discontin- 
ued, apparently  from  starvation.  At  the  end  of  the  eight  weeks  the 
remaining  pigs  in  both  lots  were  fed  a  grain  ration  and  developed 
economically  to  marketable  weight.  It  is  doubtful  if  many  of  these 
pigs  would  have  lived  through  the  entire  summer  without  grain,  altho 
those  on  alfalfa  might  have  survived  had  the  pasture  been  particularly 
good.  However,  the  loss  of  part  of  the  pigs  and  the  small  gains  of  the 
others  made  it  inadvisable  to  continue  the  experiment  longer. 


1  One  and  one-half  pounds  of  corn  daily  per  100  pounds  live  weight,  which 
is  about  one-third  as  much  as  the  pigs  would  have  consumed. 


44  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

On  October  15  the  pigs  were  removed  from  pasture  to  the  dry 
lot.  The  ration  of  corn  for  those  pigs  which  had  received  a  limited 
ration  was  increased  gradually  to  full  feed  with  an  addition  of  .4 
pound  tankage  daily  per  pig.  This  method  of  feeding  is  comparable 
to  the  general  farm  practice  of  pushing  pigs  to  a  marketable  weight  as 
soon  as  the  new  corn  is  available.  The  self-fed  pigs  were  continued 
on  a  ration  of  corn  and  tankage  in  the  self-feeder.  The  results 
obtained  in  the  experiment  are  reported  in  Table  2. 

The  pigs  which  had  been  self -fed  throughout  the  experiment  were 
ready  for  market  a  month  sooner  in  the  case  of  those  that  had  been 
on  rape  (Lot  10),  and  one  and  one-half  months  sooner  in  the  case  of 
those  that  had  been  on  alfalfa  pasture  (Lot  14),  than  were  the  pigs 
in  the  lots  which  had  received  a  two-thirds  ration  of  corn  on  pasture 
and  were  full-fed  in  the  dry  lot  in  the  fall.  The  medium  and  the 
self-fed  rations  of  concentrates  given  the  pigs  on  both  the  rape  and 
the  alfalfa  pastures  produced  more  rapid  gains  and  produced  them 
on  fewer  pounds  of  concentrates  than  did  the  light  rations.  The  lots 
which  had  received  a  two-thirds  ration  of  corn  during  the  summer 
both  reached  a  market  weight  sooner  than  the  lots  which  had  received 
a  one-third  ration  of  corn. 

During  the  forage  season  the  light-fed  pigs  made  the  most  eco- 
nomical gains,  but  the  total  concentrates  required  to  develop  these  pigs 
to  a  marketable  weight  was  much  larger  than  was  required  in  either 
the  lots  which  had  received  a  two-thirds  ration  of  corn  or  the  lots  which 
had  been  self -fed  corn  and  tankage.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
the  longer  pigs  have  to  be  fed  in  the  dry  lot  in  the  fall  and  winter,  the 
greater  is  the  offset  to  cheap  summer  feeding. 

While  the  pigs  which  had  been  fed  a  two-thirds  corn  ration  re- 
quired a  greater  amount  of  concentrates,  per  100  pounds  gain,  than 
was  required  by  the  lots  which  had  been  self-fed,  their  gains  were 
less  costly,  because  of  the  fact  that  these  lots  had  not  been  fed 
tankage  during  the  summer,  as  had  the  lots  which  had  been  self-fed. 
However,  the  higher  cost  of  the  concentrates  required  by  the  self -fed 
lots  was  in  reality  slight,  and  in  farm  operations  such  an  increased 
cost  is  usually  offset  by  the  more  favorable  selling  price  brought  on 
the  earlier  market  by  self-fed  pigs.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that 
full-fed  pigs  which  have  access  to  forage  until  the  time  of  marketing, 
make  their  gains  on  less  concentrates  than  do  pigs  which  are  fed  a 
medium  ration  of  corn  on  forage  during  the  summer  and  are  later 
fattened  in  the  dry  lot.  The  economy  of  the  gains  will  depend  some- 
what on  the  amount  of  protein  feeds  used. 

The  feeding  of  medium  rations,  in  addition  to  its  saving  in  protein 
supplements,  may  have  an  advantage  over  full  feeding  in  that  a 
greater  proportion  of  the  corn  fed  is  from  the  new  crop  (note  the 


1984]  FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE  45 

following  figures).     However,  as  the  prices  of  corn  and  hogs  vary, 
either  full  rations  or  medium  may  become  the  more  profitable. 

PROPORTION  OF  CORN  FED  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  OCTOBER  15:    EXPERIMENTS  ON 
RAPE  AND  ALFALFA  LOTS,  1917 

Ration  fed  during  Amount  fed  previous  Amount  fed  after 

the  summer  How  fed  to  Oct.  15  Oct.  15 

percentage  percentage 

Corn  and  tankage Self-fed  81  19 

Corn  two-thirds  ration. .     Hand-fed  42  58 

Corn  one-third  ration ...     Hand-fed  19  81 

Little  difference  was  found  between  either  the  rate  or  the  economy 
of  gains  made  on  rape  pasture  and  those  made  on  alfalfa.  The  rape 
pasture  was  slightly  superior. 

The  poor  results  obtained  in  Lots  8  and  12  were  partly  due  to  the 
extremely  severe  weather  of  December  and  January. 

FIELD  PEAS  AND  OATS,  RAPE  AND  SOYBEAN  PASTURES 

The  thirty-two  pigs  in  Lots  15  and  16,  which  were  fed  light  and 
medium  corn  rations,  respectively,  were  turned  on  various  pasture 
crops  during  the  summer.  Until  July  16,  the  pigs  in  each  lot  were 
pastured  on  a  half -acre  of  Canadian  field  peas  and  oats.  At  that  time 
they  were  turned  into  rape  pasture,  each  lot  being  given  access  to  one- 
fourth  of  an  acre,  in  order  that  their  former  pasture  might  be  seeded 
to  rape.  On  August  20,  when  this  seeding  had  made  a  good  growth, 
the  pigs  were  turned  back  into  their  original  pasture.  On  September 
22  each  lot  of  pigs  was  turned  into  a  half-acre  pasture  of  soybeans. 
These  soybeans,  having  been  broadcast  in  April,  were  well  podded  and 
furnished  good  feed  until  October  15,  when  the  pigs  were  removed  to 
the  dry  lot.  The  corn  rations  were  then  increased  to  full  feed  and  .4 
pound  tankage  per  pig  per  day  was  given. 

As  on  the  rape  and  alfalfa  pastures,  the  lot  given  a  one-third 
ration  of  corn  during  the  summer,  Lot  15,  required  considerably  more 
concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain  than  did  the  lot  given  a  two-thirds 
ration,  Lot  16.  Lot  15  required  somewhat  smaller  amounts  of  con- 
centrates, per  hundred  pounds  gain,  than  did  the  lots  which  had  re- 
ceived the  same  amount  of  grain  on  rape  and  alfalfa  pastures  (Lots 
8  and  12).  The  pigs  in  Lot  16,  however,  required  somewhat  more 
concentrates  per  hundred  pounds  gain  than  did  the  lots  which  had 
received  the  same  corn  ration  on  rape  and  on  alfalfa  pastures  (Lots  9 
and  13).  These  two  lots,  Nos.  15  and  16,  required  the  use  of  a  greater 
acreage  of  pasture  than  did  the  lots  on  rape  and  alfalfa  and  caused 
the  extra  cost  and  trouble  of  furnishing  the  several  forages. 


46 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


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FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


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48  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

FEEDING  OF  DIFFERENT  AMOUNTS  OF  CORN,  WITH 

MIDDLINGS  AND  TANKAGE  ADDED,  FOR 

PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

RAPE  PASTURE 

Six  lots  of  eight  pigs  each  were  started  on  experiment  on  June 
15,  1918,  in  order  to  determine  the  value  of  different  amounts  of  corn 
and  the  addition  of  middlings  and  tankage  to  the  rations  while  the 
pigs  were  on  pasture.  The  average  weights  of  the  pigs  were  38  to 
40  pounds.  The  various  lots  were  all  placed  on  rape  pasture  and 
were  fed  as  follows: 

Lot  17.  Rape  pasture:  no  concentrates 

Lot  18.  Rape  pasture :  one-third  ration  corn 

Lot    1.  Rape  pasture:  two-thirds  ration  corn 

Lot  19.  Rape  pasture:  corn  self -fed 

Lot  20.  Rape  pasture:  corn  and  tankage  self-fed 

Lot  21.  Rape  pasture:  corn,  tankage,  and  middlings  self -fed 

As  in  the  test  of  the  previous  year,  it  was  found  impractical  to 
carry  young  pigs  through  the  summer  without  grain.  For  two  weeks 
the  corn  fed  to  Lot  17  was  gradually  reduced  and  for  the  next  eight 
weeks  none  whatever  was  fed.  The  average  gain  per  pig  for  the 
eight  weeks  was  1*4  pounds.  With  the  coarser,  older  forage  at  that 
time  and  the  low  condition  of  the  pigs,  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
discontinue  the  lot  at  the  end  of  the  eight  weeks,  as  it  was  obvious 
that  some  of  the  pigs  would  not  live  through  the  summer  without  grain. 

On  October  5  the  remaining  lots  of  pigs  were  put  in  the  dry  lot 
and  all  given  corn  and  tankage  in  the  self-feeder.  The  pigs  in  Lot 
21  were  self -fed  middlings  in  addition,  as  before.  The  lots  were  dis- 
continued when  an  approximate  weight  of  225  pounds  had  been 
reached.  The  data  are  reported  in  Table  3. 

The  pigs  which  had  been  fed  a  one-third  ration  of  corn  during 
the  summer  (Lot  18)  made  lower  daily  gains  than  the  pigs  which  had 
been  fed  the  two-thirds  ration  (Lot  1).  The  gains,  however,  required 
9  pounds  less  corn  and  6  pounds  less  tankage  per  100  pounds.  Both 
of  these  lots  required  more  total  concentrates  (410  and  425  pounds) 
to  produce  100  pounds  of  gain  than  did  the  self -fed  lots,  which  re- 
quired 395,  375,  and  398  pounds.  The  difference  between  the  require- 
ments of  the  pigs  which  had  been  fed  a  light  ration  and  those  which 
had  been  self -fed  corn  and  tankage  was  less  pronounced  in  this  experi- 
ment than  in  the  experiment  reported  in  Table  2,  altho  the  difference 
between  a  medium  corn  ration  and  a  self -fed  corn  and  tankage  ration 
was  greater  in  this  experiment.  The  pigs  self-fed  corn  and  tankage 


19184] 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


49 


TABLE  3. — DIFFERENT  AMOUNTS  OF  CORN,  WITH  TANKAGE  AND  MIDDLINGS 

ADDED  IN  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 

Experiment  begun  on  June  15,  1918.  *    Pigs  changed  from  pasture  to  dry  lot  on 

October  5. 


Lot  No  

17 

18 

1 

19 

20 

21 

Number  of  pigs  

8* 
56 
Aug.  24 

8» 
214 
Jan.  15 

8 
210 
Jan.  11 

8< 
179 
Dec.  11 

8* 
168 
Nov.  30 

8 
154 
Nov.  16 

Days  on  experiment  .... 
Experiment  ended  

Forage,  H  acre  per  lot.  .  . 
Ration  on  pasture  

Rape 
No  grain 

Co 

Rape 

CornH 
ration 

rn  and  ti 

Rape 

Corn% 
ration 

inkage  in 

Rape 

Corn  in 
self- 
feeder 

self-feede 

Rape 

Corn  and 
tankage 
in  self- 
feeder 

r 

Rape 

Corn, 
tankage, 
mid- 
dlings, 
in  self- 
feeder 

Ration  in  dry  lot  

Feeds  Consumed  and  Gains  Throughout  Experiment,  in  Both  Pasture  and 

Dry-Lot  Periods 


Average  weight  per  pig 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

Ibs. 

tos. 

Initial  weight  

40 

39 

39 

38 

39 

38 

Weight  on  Oct.  5  

83 

123 

123 

154 

160 

Final  weight  

41.25 

229 

231 

228 

240 

224 

Gain 

Total  gain  per  lot  
Av.  daily  gain  per  pig.  . 

10 
.02 

1369 
.83 

1540 
.92 

1325 
1.00 

1511 
1.13 

1481 
1.20 

Concentrates  consumed 

per  lot 

Corn  

5251 

6060 

4872 

5129 

4611 

Tankage  

360 

492 

359 

530 

463 

Middlings  

822 

Total  

5611 

6552 

5231 

5659 

5896 

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 

Corn  

3  18 

3  61 

3  69 

3  83 

3  74 

Tankage  

22 

29 

27 

40 

38 

Middlings  

.67 

Total  

3.40 

3  90 

3  96 

4  23 

4  79 

Concentrates  per  100 

pounds  gain 

Corn  

384 

393 

368 

340 

311 

Tankage  

26 

32 

27 

35 

31 

Middlings  

56 

Total  

410 

425 

395 

375 

398 

'Lot  17  was  started  on  experiment  June  29. 
'Pig  died  Aug.  19,  weight  24  Ibs. 
»Pig  taken  out  Nov.  16,  weight  80  Ibs. 
4Pig  taken  out  Aug.  23,  weight  33  Ibs. 
•Pig  died  Nov.  25,  weight  138  Ibs. 


50    ,  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

required  340  pounds  of  corn  and  35  pounds  of  tankage  for  each  100 
pounds  gain,  the  lowest  total  requirements  of  any  of  the  lots.  The 
pigs  which  had  been  self-fed  corn  alone  during  the  summer  were 
second  lowest  in  amount  of  concentrates  consumed  per  100  pounds 
gain. 

The  pigs  which  made  the  most  rapid  gains  were  those  that  had 
received  middlings  in  the  self-feeder  in  addition  to  corn  and  tankage. 
The  addition  of  middlings  to  a  ration  of  corn  and  tankage  will  usually 
increase  both  the  rate  and  cost  of  gains.  The  increased  cost,  however, 
may  be  offset  by  the  advantages  of  an  early  marketable  weight. 

A  rather  wide  range  in  the  time  of  marketing  is  shown  in  this 
experiment.  The  pigs  fed  a  one-third  ration  of  corn  during  the 
summer  (Lot  18)  finished  to  229  pounds  in  214  days  (January  15) ; 
whereas  the  pigs  which  were  self-fed  corn,  tankage,  and  middlings 
(Lot  21)  averaged  224  pounds  in  154  days  (November  16). 

It  will  be  seen  here  that  considerably  more  tankage  per  100  pounds 
gain  was  consumed  by  the  lots  that  had  received  a  limited  corn 
ration  during  the  summer  than  was  the  case  in  the  experiments  re- 
ported in  Table  2.  This  difference  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  pigs 
in  this  experiment  (Table  3)  were  self -fed  their  tankage  in  the  dry 
lot  while  those  reported  in  Table  2  were  hand-fed  .4  pound  daily 
per  pig. 


CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF  FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS 
ON  VARIOUS  PASTURE  CROPS 

In  1914,  a  four-year  series  of  experiments  was  begun  in  order  to 
determine  whether  pigs  can  be  grown  satisfactorily  on  pasture  when 
given  corn  and  tankage  in  the  self-feeder,  and  also  to  obtain  data  on 
the  comparative  value  of  alfalfa  and  rape  as  forage  for  pigs. 

ALFALFA  AND  RAPE  PASTURES:  1914  EXPERIMENT 

Five  lots  of  pigs,  averaging  45  and  46  pounds  in  weight,  were 
placed  on  experiment  June  5,  1914.  Six  pigs  were  fed  in  each  lot 
instead  of  the  usual  eight.  The  lots  were  fed  throughout  the  experi- 
ment as  follows: 

Lots  22  and  23.    Alfalfa  pasture:   corn  and  tankage  self-fed 
Lots  24  and  25.    Rape  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self-fed 
Lot  26.    Dry  lot:    corn,  tankage,  middlings,  and  bran  hand-fed 

The  alfalfa  pasture  had  been  seeded  the  previous  year  and  fur- 
nished an  abundance  of  forage.  The  rape  was  seeded  and  handled  as 
has  been  heretofore  described  (see  pages  40  and  41). 


19U] 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


51 


The  experiment  was  continued  until  November  6,  154  days,  at 
which  time  the  pigs  in  the  various  lots  had  reached  average  weights 
of  235  to  269  pounds.  (See  Table  4.) 

The  pigs  which  were  self -fed  on  pasture  made  more  rapid  daily 
gains  than  the  hand-fed  pigs  in  the  dry  lot  and  required  less  con- 
centrates for  100  pounds  gain. 

The  pigs  on  alfalfa  made  slightly  more  rapid  gains,  on  the  average, 
than  those  on  rape  and  required  less  feed  per  100  pounds  gain.  This 
fact  would  indicate  that  the  alfalfa  was  somewhat  more  valuable  for 

TABLE  4. — CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE:  1914 
Experiment  begun  on  June  5,  1914;  ended  on  November  6. 


Lot  No  

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

Number  of  pigs  

6 
154 

6 

154 

6 
154 

6 
154 

6 
154 

Days  on  experiment  

Forage,  H  acre  per  lot  

Alfalfa 

Alfalfa 

Rape 

Rape 

None 

Ration  throughout  experiment  .... 

Corn  and  tankage  in  self-feeder 

Corn, 
tankage, 
mid- 
dlings, 
bran, 
hand-fed 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
46 
254 

1248 
1.35 

4256 
375 

Ibs. 
45 
269 

1342 
1.45 

4300 
376 

Ibs. 
46 
236 

1142 
1.24 

4070 
338 

Ibs. 
45 
260 

1288 
1.39 

4225 
375 

Ibs. 
46 
235 

1135 
1.23 

2750 
467 
1268 
287 
4772 

2.97 
.51 
1.37 
.31 
5.16 

242 
41 
112 
25 
420 

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  

Average  daily  gain  per  pig  

Concentrates  consumed  per  lot 
Corn  

Tankage  

Middlings  

Bran  

Total  

4631 

4.60 
.41 

4676 

4.65 
.41 

4408 

4.40 
.37 

4600 

4.57 
.41 

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Middlings  

Bran  

Total  

5  01 

341 
30 

5.06 

320 
28 

4.77 

356 
30 

4.98 

328 
29 

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  ... 

Tankage  

Middlings  .    .  . 

Bran  

Total  

371 

348 

386 

357 

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs  

2320 

3100 

52  '  BULLETIN  No.  247  [January, 

the  pigs  than  rape.  The  alfalfa  was  cut  for  hay  twice  during  the 
summer,  thus  furnishing  more  young,  growing  forage  than  was  fur- 
nished by  the  rape.  Alfalfa  supplies  a  maximum  amount  of  growing 
forage  and  will  withstand  pasturing  when  about  half  the  annual  hay 
crop  is  removed  in  two  cuttings  during  the  summer. 

In  this  first  trial,  the  self-feeder  on  pasture  proved  very  satis- 
factory for  finishing  pigs  for  the  early  market. 

ALFALFA  AND  RAPE  PASTURES:    1915  EXPERIMENT 

In  1915  the  above  experiment  was  duplicated  on  the  same  pasture 
lots  except  that  no  pigs  were  fed  in  the  dry  lot.  Since  it  had  been 
shown  the  previous  year  that  the  forage  had  a  greater  carrying 
capacity,  seven  pigs  were  used  per  half -acre  instead  of  six.  The  pigs 
in  the  various  lots  were  fed  as  follows : 

Lots  27  and  28.    Alfalfa  pasture:   corn  and  tankage  self -fed 
Lots  29  and  30.     Rape  pasture:   corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

The  pigs  were  placed  on  experiment  June  10,  1915,  at  average 
weights  of  48  to  50  pounds.  They  were  continued  on  experiment 
until  November  11,  154  days,  the  same  length  of  time  as  the  experi- 
ment of  the  preceding  year.  At  that  time  they  had  reached  average 
weights  of  215  to  248  pounds.  The  data  are  reported  in  Table  5. 

The  gains  made  were  slower  than  in  the  preceding  year.  The  daily 
gains  made  on  alfalfa,  1.29  and  1.24  pounds  per  pig,  were  again 
greater  than  those  made  on  rape,  1.09  and  1.13  pounds,  and  again 
required  less  concentrates,  as  an  average.  More  corn  was  consumed 
per  100  pounds  gain  this  year  than  had  been  consumed  the  previous 
year,  but  the  tankage  required  was  sufficiently  less  to  offset  the  cost 
of  this  increase,  and  as  a  result  there  was  little  difference  in  the 
economy  of  gains  in  the  two  years. 

RED  CLOVER,  ALFALFA,  AND  RAPE  PASTURES  :  1916  EXPERIMENT 

On  June  17,   1916,  pigs  averaging  49  pounds  in  weight  were 
started  on  experiment  on  the  same  alfalfa  and  rape  pastures  that  had 
been  used  in  1915.    In  addition,  one  lot  of  pigs  was  fed  on  an  adjoin- 
ing red-clover  pasture.     Each  lot  was  made  up  of  eight  pigs.     The 
rations  given  throughout  the  experiment  were  as  follows : . 
Lot  31.    Red  clover  pasture:     corn  and  tankage  self-fed 
Lots  32  and  33.    Alfalfa  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self -fed 
Lots  34  and  35.     Rape  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

At  the  end  of  112  days,  October  7,  when  the  experiment  was  closed, 
the  pigs  averaged  from  166  to  185  pounds  in  weight. 


19X4} 


FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE 


53 


TABLE  5. — CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE:  1915 
Experiment  begun  on  June  10,  1915;  ended  on  November  11. 


Lot  No  

27 

28 

29 

30 

Number  of  pigs  

7 
154 

71 
154 

7 
154 

7« 

154 

Days  on  experiment  

Forage,  %  acre  per  lot  

Alfalfa 

Alfalfa 

Rape 

Rape 

Ration  throughout  experiment  

Corn  and  tankage  in  self-feeder 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
48 
247 

1388 
1.29 

4767 
322 
5089 

4.42 
.30 
4.72 

344 
23 
367 

Ibs. 
49 
248 

1335 
1.24 

4654 
347 
5001 

4.32 
.32 
4.64 

349 
26 
375 

Ibs. 
48 
215 

1170 
1.09 

4200 
336 
4536 

3.90 
.31 
4.21 

359 
29 
388 

Ibs. 
50 
229 

1135 
1.13 

3906 
269 
4175 

3.88 
.27 
4.15 

344 
24 
368 

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  

Average  daily  gain  per  pig  

Concentrates  consumed  per  lot 
Corn  

Tankage.  . 

Total  

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs.  .  

4410 

4060 

JTwo  pigs  taken  out  June  29,  weights  52  and  50  Ibs.,  replaced  by  pigs  weighing 
81  and  80  Ibs. 

2Pig  died  Aug.  30,  weight  114  Ibs. 

The  amounts  of  clover  and  alfalfa  hay  removed  per  acre,  as  shown 
in  Table  6,  would  indicate  that  there  was  a  good  growth  of  forage. 
This  was  true,  however,  only  in  the  early  part  of  the  season.  The 
hot,  dry  weather  during  the  late  summer,  together  with  the  fact  that 
there  were  too  many  pigs  for  the  pasture,  made  it  necessary  to  take 
them  from  the  forage  sooner  than  had  been  planned.  The  stand  of 
alfalfa  had  been  reduced  one-half  in  the  three  years  of  pasturing. 

The  pigs  in  the  clover  field  made  the  most  rapid  gains,  but  they 
consumed  more  concentrates  daily  and  per  100  pounds  gain  than 
did  the  pigs  in  the  other  lots.  The  fact  that  the  clover  was  the  first 
of  the  forage  crops  to  become  exhausted  may  account,  in  part,  for 
the  fact  that  the  pigs  in  that  lot  consumed  more  corn  than  did  those 
in  the  other  lots.  The  average  rate  and  economy  of  gains  for  pigs 
on  alfalfa  and  on  rape  pastures  were  about  the  same. 


54 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


[January, 


TABLE  6. — CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF-FEEDER  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE:  1916 
Experiment  begun  on  June  17,  1916;  ended  on  October  7. 


Lot  No  

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

Number  of  pigs  

8 
112 

8 
112 

81 
112 

82 
112 

8 
112 

Days  on  experiment  

Forage,  %  acre  per  lot  

Red 
clover 

Alfalfa 

Alfalfa 

Rape 

Rape 

Ration  throughout  experiment  .... 

Corn  and  tankage  in  self-feeder 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
49 
185 

1088 
1.21 

3699 
267 
3966 

4.13 
.30 
4.43 

340 
25 
365 

Ibs. 
49 
179 

1036 
1.16 

3195 
293 
3488 

3.56 
.33 
3.89 

309 
28 
337 

Ibs. 
49 
176 

863 
1.03 

2929 
207 
3136 

3.49 
.25 
3.74 

339 
24 
363 

Ibs. 
49 
171 

982 
1.10 

3313 
260 
3573 

3  73 
.29 
4.02 

337 
27 
364 

Ibs. 
49 
166 

931 
1.04 

3092 
229 
3321 

3.45 
.26 
3.71 

332 
25 
357 

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  

Average  daily  gain  per  pig  

Concentrates  consumed  per  lot 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  '  

Tankage  

Total  

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs  

4288 

4510 

4750 

'Pig  died  Aug.  11,  weight  25  Ibs. 

"Pig  taken  out  Sept.  30,  weight  177  Ibs. 

ALFALFA,  RAPE,  AND  SWEET-CLOVER  PASTURES  :  1917  EXPERIMENT 

On  June  11, 1917,  pigs  averaging  44  and  45  pounds  in  weight  were 
started  on  experiment.  This  year  the  pastures  were  different  from 
those  used  in  the  three  previous  tests.  Lots  of  eight  pigs  each  were 
fed  on  alfalfa,  rape,  sweet  clover,  and  in  the  dry  lot  as  follows : 

Lot  14.  Alfalfa  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

Lot  10.  Rape  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

Lot  36.  Sweet  clover  pasture:    corn  and  tankage  self-fed 

Lot  37.  Dry  lot:   corn  and  tankage  self -fed 

On  October  15,  the  pigs  on  pasture  were  removed  to  the  dry  lot, 
where  the  self -feeding  of  corn  and  tankage  was  continued.  No  change 
was  made  in  Lot  37.  All  the  pigs  were  grown  to  a  weight  of  about 
225  pounds.  The  data  are  reported  in  Table  7. 


55 


TABLE  7. — CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  PASTURE:  1917 

Experiment  begun  on  June  11,  1917.    Pigs  changed  from  pasture  to 

dry  lot  October  15. 


Lot  No  

14 

10 

36 

37 

Number  of  pigs  

8 
147 
Nov.  5 

8 
147 
Nov.  5 

81 
140 
Oct.  29 

8 
140 
Oct.  29 

Days  on  experiment  

Experiment  ended  

Forage,  ^6  acre  per  lot  

Alfalfa 

Rape 

Sweet 
clover 

None 

Ration  throughout  experiment  

Corn  and  tankage  in  self-feeder 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
45 
203 
222 

1415 
1.20 

5276 
508 
5784 

4.49 
.43 
4.92 

373 
36 
409 

Ibs. 
45 
200 
222 

1421 
1.21 

5144 
435 
5579 

4.37 
.37 
4.74 

362 
31 
393 

Ibs. 
44 
214 
224 

1265 
1.20 

4721 
538 
5259 

4.50 
.51 
5.01 

373 
43 
416 

Ibs. 
45 
207 
225 

1443 
1.29 

5147 
697 
5844 

4.60 
.62 
5.22 

357 
48 
405 

Weight  on  Oct.  15  

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  

Average  dally  gain  per  pig  

Concentrates  consumed  per  lot 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs  

3480 

2200 

'Pig  taken  out  August  20,  weight  45  Ibs. 

As  an  average  of  the  previous  three  years'  experiments,  the  pigs 
on  alfalfa  made  slightly  more  rapid  gains  on  less  concentrates  than 
those  pastured  on  rape.  In  this  experiment,  less  concentrates  were 
consumed,  per  100  pounds  gain,  by  pigs  on  rape  than  by  pigs  on  al- 
falfa. On  sweet  clover  the  concentrate  requirement  per  100  pounds 
gain  was  somewhat  greater  than  on  either  alfalfa  or  rape ;  the  small 
differences  in  daily  gains  are  within  the  limits  of  experimental  error 
and  are  not  significant.  The  luxuriant  growth  of  sweet  clover  the 
first  year  makes  it  a  crop  worthy  of  consideration  for  pasturing  pigs. 
When  sown  about  the  first  of  April  under  optimum  conditions,  suffi- 
cient forage  is  secured  by  the  first  of  June  for  pasturing  and  a  good 
growth  is  available  all  summer. 

The  pigs  which  were  fed  in  the  dry  lot  throughout  the  entire  ex- 
periment (Lot  37)  made  more  rapid  gains  than  the  pigs  which  had 


56 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


[January, 


been  on  forage  during  the  summer.  The  total  amount  of  concen- 
trates required  for  100  pounds  gain  was  about  the  same  for  all  the 
pigs,  but  those  which  had  been  in  the  dry  lot  during  the  summer  con- 
sumed somewhat  more  tankage  than  the  pigs  which  had  been  on  forage. 


SUMMARY  OP  FOUR  YEARS'  EXPERIMENTS  WITH  CORN  AND  TANKAGE 

nsr  THE  SELF-FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  ALFALFA  AND 

RAPE  PASTURES 

The  averages  appearing  in  Table  8,  in  which  is  presented  a  sum- 
mary of  the  data  contained  in  Tables  4  to  7  on  rape  and  alfalfa  pastures, 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  use  of  the  self-feeder  on  pasture  is  a 
satisfactory  way  of  growing  pigs  for  the  fall  and  early  winter  market. 
Altho  this  method  involves  the  use  of  much  old  corn,  it  usually  means 
that  the  pigs  can  be  sold  on  an  early  market  before  they  require  much 
shelter  from  cooler  and  damper  weather. 

TABLE  8. — SUMMARY  OP  EXPERIMENTS  WITH  CORN  AND  TANKAGE  IN  THE  SELF- 
FEEDER,  FOR  PIGS  ON  ALFALFA  AND  RAPE  PASTURE:    DATA  FROM 
TABLES  4  TO  7 


Average  of  7  lots  

Nos. 
22,  23,  27,  28 
32,  33,  14 

Nos. 
24,  25,  29,  30, 
34,  35,  10 

Number  of  pigs  

50 
138 

50 
138 

Days  on  experiment  

Forage  

Alfalfa 

Rape 

Ration  

Corn  and  tankage  in  self-feeder 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
47 
225 

8  627 
1.25 

29  377 
2  428 
31  805 

4.25 
.35 
4.60 

341 
28 
369 

Ibs. 
48 
212 

8  069 
1.17 

27  950 
2  242 
30  192 

4.05 
.33 
4.38 

346 
28 
374 

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain.  

Average  daily  gain  per  pig  

Concentrates  consumed 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

Hay  removed  per  acre,  Ibs  

3804 

1924}  FEEDING  PIGS  ON  PASTURE  57 

The  data  indicate  that,  on  the  whole,  alfalfa  pasture  was  superior 
to  rape  pasture  for  pigs.  Altho  alfalfa  is  more  difficult  and  expensive 
to  seed  than  rape,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  will  survive  for 
a  number  of  years,  while  the  ground  for  rape  must  be  prepared  and 
the  seed  sown  each  year.  Alfalfa,  moreover,  produces  from  one  to 
two  tons  of  hay  yearly  per  acre  in  addition  to  the  pasture,  while  rape 
produces  no  hay.  However,  in  feeding  value  for  pigs,  rape  compares 
more  favorably  with  alfalfa  than  is  commonly  thought.  If  it  is  seeded 
in  the  spring  as  early  as  the  ground  can  be  worked  and  if  it  is  not 
pastured  too  closely  during  the  early  part  of  the  summer,  it  will 
usually  give  an  abundance  of  forage  by  the  first  of  June,  and  under 
the  climatic  conditions  of  central  and  northern  Illinois  can  be  pastured 
until  the  killing  frosts. 

ONE  vs.  TWO  PASTURE  CROPS  FOR  PIGS 

Experience  and  experimental  work  have  taught  that  pigs  usually 
do  better  when  fed  a  variety  of  concentrates  than  when  fed  but  one. 
In  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  same  is  true  with  regard  to  forage 
crops,  three  experiments  were  carried  out,  the  first  in  the  summer 
of  1911  and  the  other  two  in  the  summer  of  1915.  The  various  lots 
of  pigs  were  placed  in  pastures  growing  two  forage  crops,  alfalfa 
in  one  half  and  rape  in  the  other,  and  also  in  pastures  of  rape  alone 
and  alfalfa  alone.  They  were  fed  as  follows: 

1911    Lot  38.1   Alfalfa  pasture:   two-thirds  ration  corn 

Lot  39.    Alfalfa  and  rape  pasture:   two-thirds  ration  corn 

1915    Lot  40.    Alfalfa  pasture:    two-thirds  ration   corn   and   y&  pound 

tankage  daily  per  pig 

Lot  41.    Alfalfa  and  rape  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn  and  ^4 
pound  tankage  daily  per  pig 

1915    Lot  42.    Rape  pasture:   two-thirds  ration  corn  and  ^4  pound  tank- 
age daily  per  pig 

Lot  43.    Rape  and  alfalfa  pasture:    two-thirds  ration  corn  and  *4 
pound  tankage  daily  per  pig 

At  the  end  of  the  pasture  season  these  pigs  were  taken  off  experi- 
ment. At  this  time,  they  were  ready  to  be  fattened,  their  weights 
ranging  from  145  to  170  pounds.  The  daily  gains  were  not  large, 
but  considering  the  fact  that  they  were  made  on  limited  grain  rations, 
they  were  quite  satisfactory. 

From  a  study  of  the  data,  there  seems  to  be  no  advantage  in  com- 
bining these  two  forage  crops.  The  results  from  Lots  38  and  39 


1Lots  38  and  39  were  handled  under  the  direction  of  William  Dietrich. 


58 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


[January, 


TABLE  9. — ONE  vs.  Two  PASTURE  CROPS  FOR  PIGS 

Lots  38  and  39  placed  on  experiment  June  5,  1911;  Lots  40  and  41,  on  June  10, 
1915;  Lots  42  and  43,  on  June  12,  1915. 


Lot  No  

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

Number  of  pigs  

10 
154 

Nov.  6 

10 
154 
Nov.  6 

121 
154 

Nov.  11 

122 
154 
Nov.  11 

14« 
154 
Nov.  13 

14* 
154 
Nov.  13 

Days  on  experiment  
Experiment  ended  

Forage,  1  acre  per  lot  

Ration  throughout  experi- 
ment   

Alfalfa 

Alfalfa 
and  rape 

Alfalfa 

Alfalfa 
and  rape 

Rape 

Rape  and 
alfalfa 

Corn  %  ration 

Corn  %  ration; 
tankage  %  Ib. 
per  pig  daily 

Corn%  ration; 
tankage  %  Ib. 
per  pig  daily 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

Ibs. 
45 
170 

1249 
.81 

4199 

Ibs. 
45 
161 

1161 
.75 

4199 

Ibs. 
34 
159 

1416 
.78 

4647 
453 
5100 

2.55 
.25 

2.80 

328 
32 
360 

tos. 
34 
159 

1483 
.80 

4849 
460 
5309 

2.62 
.25 
2.87 

327 
31 
358 

Ibs. 
32 
145 

1495 
.69 

4978 
540 
5518 

2.31 
.25 
2.56 

333 
36 
369 

U)8. 

32 
151 

1512 
.73 

4966 
515 
5481 

2.40 
.25 
2.65 

329 
34 
363 

Final  weight  

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  
Av.  daily  gain  per  pig.  . 

Concentrates  consumed 
per  lot 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

4199 
2.73 

4199 
2.73 

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

2.73 
336 

2.73 
362 

Concentrates  per  100 
pounds  gain 
Corn  

Tankage  

Total  

336 

362 

Hay  removed  per  acre,  /6s. 

3205 

1500* 

3720 

21156 

2150' 

'Pig  taken  out  Oct.  14,  weight  71  Ibs. 

*Pig  died  June  29,  weignt  25  Ibs.,  replaced  by  pig  weighing  35  Ibs. 
Two  pigs  taken  out  July  31,  weights  63  and  27  Ibs.,  replaced  by  pigs  weighing 
80  and  95  Ibs. 

«Pig  died  Sept.  1,  weight  66  Ibs.    Pig  died  Oct.  26,  weight  87  Ibs. 
•Taken  from  one-half  acre  of  alfalfa. 

(Table  9),  which  were  fed  no  tankage,  favor  the  alfalfa  rather  than 
the  alfalfa  and  rape  pasture  both  in  rapidity  and  in  economy  of 
gains.  In  Lots  40  and  41,  which  were  fed  some  tankage  in  addition 
to  corn,  the  results  favored  very  slightly  the  combined  forages.  A 
comparison  of  the  results  from  Lots  42  and  43,  also  fed  some  tankage 
in  addition  to  corn,  would  make  it  appear  that  a  combination  of  pas- 
ture crops  is  beneficial.  The  fact  that  alfalfa  and  rape  made  a 
better  showing  than  rape  alone,  however,  might  be  due  to  the  superi- 


59 

ority  in  feeding  value  of  alfalfa  over  rape  rather  than  to  the  benefit 
of  using  two  forage  crops.  An  average  of  these  two  years'  work 
would  indicate  that  there  is  no  marked  benefit  in  the  use  of  more 
than  one  of  these  pasture  crops  at  a  time. 


HEAVY,  FAT  PIGS 

Twenty  pigs  of  fall  farrow  were  started  on  experiment  on  June 
12,  1915,  in  order  to  obtain  data  on  the  question  whether  it  is  ad- 
visable to  feed  heavy,  fat  pigs  during  the  summer  on  pasture.  At 
the  time  the  experiment  was  started  these  pigs  were  in  condition  for 
market,  averaging  247  pounds  each  in  weight.  They  were  kept  on  ex- 
periment until  September  4. 

Until  July  31  the  pigs  were  pastured  on  one-half  acre  of  oats  and 
Canadian  field  peas  and  one-half  acre  of  rye.  Afterwards  they  were 
pastured  on  an  acre  of  blue  grass.  Throughout  the  experiment  they 
were  given  a  full  ration  of  corn  and  %  pound  tankage  daily  per  pig. 

These  pigs  would  not  consume  as  much  corn  after  being  turned 
on  pasture  as  they  had  consumed  previously,  and  required  more  con- 
centrates to  produce  100  pounds  gain  than  they  had  in  the  dry  lot  dur- 
ing the  spring.  Throughout  the  hot  weather  they  were  rather  difficult 
to  keep  on  feed  and  gaining  well.  For  greatest  profit  they  should 
have  been  sold  in  early  summer.  The  slow  daily  gains,  an  average 
of  .94  pound,  and  the  high  consumption  of  corn  and  tankage  per  100 
pounds  gain,  567  pounds,  made  it  very  apparent  that  such  hogs  should 
not  be  held  for  any  length  of  time  during  the  summer  unless  a  more 
favorable  market  is  fairly  certain.  (See  Table  10.) 

LIGHT,  THIN  PIGS 

The  question  sometimes  arises  as  to  whether  or  not  light,  thin, 
fall-farrowed  pigs,  which  in  some  years  would  be  discounted  on  the 
spring  market,  may  be  carried  through  the  summer  on  pasture  with  a 
little  grain  and  sold  at  a  profit  in  September  or  October.  In  order 
to  obtain  data  on  this  problem,  fifteen  pigs  were  carried  through  the 
summer  on  rape  pasture.  From  June  10  until  August  19,  or  during 
the  first  seventy  days,  they  were  fed  1%  pounds  of  corn  daily  per 
head.  During  the  remaining  fifty-six  days  of  the  experiment  they 
were  fed  a  full  ration  of  corn  and  .4  pound  of  tankage  daily  per  pig. 

The  rapidity  and  economy  of  the  gains  of  these  pigs  while  on  a 
light  feed  were  fairly  satisfactory.  During  this  period  an  average 


60 


BULLETIN  No.  247 


TABLE  10. — CARRYING  FALL  PIGS  THROUGH  THE  SUMMER  ON  PASTURE 
Heavy,  fat  pigs  placed  on  experiment  June  12,  1915;  light,  thin  pigs  on  June  10. 


Lot  No  

44 
Heavy,  fat 

45 
Light,  thin 

pigs 

pigs 

Number  of  pigs  

20 

15 

Days  on  experiment  

84 

126 

Experiment  ended  

Sept.  4 

Oct.  14 

Forage  

See  footnote1 

Rape 

Ration  

Corn  full-fed; 

IJ^j  Ibs.  corn  per  pig 

tankage  %  Ib.  per 
pig  daily 

daily.     After  Aug.  19. 
corn  increased  to  full 
feed;  tankage  .4  Ib. 
per  pig  daily 

Average  weight  per  pig 
Initial  weight  

/6s. 
247 

Ibs. 
178 

Final  weight  

327 

262 

Gain 
Total  gain  per  lot  

1585 

1250 

Average  daily  gain  per  pig  

.94    , 

66 

Concentrates  consumed  per  lot 
Corn  

8144 

5780 

Tankage  

840 

216 

Total  

8984 

5996 

Average  daily  ration  per  pig 
Corn  

4  85 

3.06 

Tankage  

50 

.11 

Total  

5.35 

3.17 

Concentrates  per  100  pounds  gain 
Corn  

514 

463 

Tankage  

53 

17 

Total  

567 

480 

acre  of  oats  and  Canadian  field  peas  and  one-half  acre  of  rye  from 
June  12  to  July  31;  then  changed  to  one  acre  of  blue  grass. 

daily  gain  of  .28  pound  was  made.  The  concentrate  requirement  per 
100  pounds  gain  was  473  pounds.  The  average  daily  gain  for  the  en- 
tire experiment  was  .66  pound  per  pig,  with  a  concentrate  require- 
ment of  463  pounds  of  corn  and  17  pounds  of  tankage  for  100  pounds 
gain.  (See  Table  10.) 

The  market  price  of  light,  thin  pigs  in  the  spring  is  a  large  factor 
in  determining  whether  or  not  it  is  advisable  to  carry  such  pigs  through 
the  summer.  It  is  true  that  in  many  years  the  price  of  the  same  pigs 
in  the  fall  at  heavier  weights  would  be  greater  than  the  price  for 
them  at  the  lighter  weights  in  the  spring.  However,  because  of  the 
risk,  the  extra  labor,  and  the  inconvenience  in  handling,  it  is  better, 
in  ordinary  farm  practice,  to  finish  fall  pigs  to  200  or  225  pounds 
in  the  spring  by  generous  winter  and  spring  feeding  than  to  hold 
them  through  the  summer. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


